


The Summer Knight: Drabbles & Shorts

by writingandcoe



Series: The Swindon Files [8]
Category: The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher, The Dresden Files Roleplaying Game
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 09:43:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19423423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingandcoe/pseuds/writingandcoe
Summary: Dini Richardson isn't a journalist any more: she's the Summer Knight, and that brings a whole new world of problems - including fighting training, Black Court Vampires, wizards, spiders, politics - and the Winter Knight.A collection of shorts that take take place after The Dresden Files 1-9.





	1. Troll Negotiations

It's a grey and cloudy day in the NeverNever; it does vary depending on which region you're in, of course, but I've found that it also reflects the real world a little. It's currently late June out there, so of course the weather's shite, and the grey skies of the NeverNever have borrowed a grey tint. The path I'm on is the Iron Road, an old railway track that's long gone in the real world. Here, it's lined with ancient hedgerows and the short grass is soft beneath my boots. I'm strolling along with my hands in my pockets, glad of my leather jacket against the wind that's whistling through my white hair. My tiny Faerie companion Davido is someplace above me, riding the wind happily and shrieking his views back down.

My name is Dini Richardson, and I'm the Knight of the Summer Court of the Fae. I've held the position for two weeks, ever since the previous Knight was stripped of his Mantle and it was passed to me by the Queen. There's been a ball - not that I remember much of it - and introductions to a lot of the Fae representatives. I'll have to wait until the next Solstice to get introduced to everyone else...although I know the current Winter Knight a bit too well. Let's just say that we've got history.

I seem to have a backlog of things to do, mostly thanks to the person I've taken to thinking of as My Predecessor. Warren was my lover, my friend, my boyfriend – not the man I last saw unconscious after Titania stripped the Mantle from him and the Knight who was barely there in the final year. But...I can sort of forgive that. He was tired. Even though I'm new and young, I can see how eternal Summer could get wearing.

That makes me think about the new Winter Knight, Jamie Kindred, as I head down the North Way on my first official assignment to see a troll. I've seen what the Mantle does, both in previous Sidhe Knights and definitely in Kindred. He was an Emissary of the Winter Court before he was the Knight, and he was already having trouble controlling Winter - as I knew to my cost. It'll be even worse now that he's got the Knight's Mantle and powers, too.

I shove my hands deeper into my pockets. I can't forget that the Winter Knight is now the central reason for my existence – or at least, the existence of my job. I am here to counter him. Yes, I have other duties, but that (and being Titania's human mouthpiece and pawn) is the point of my Mantle. And I think, based on nothing more than a nagging feeling that I don't think is false hope, that Mab doesn't want the Winter Mantle to win. She was all too happy to get rid of Slate, the previous Winter Knight, who was a drug addict, murderer, rapist and general shitty human being. I don't think a Knight who is ruled by his desires is entirely to Mab's liking, and I hope I can work with that in my dealings with this Winter Knight.

The talk I had with Rowan is nagging me, too. She expanded on what I'd previously been told me about Nemesis and Outsiders, and I think my last informant let me off lightly. There's a whole shitload of trouble coming our way, which means the Courts will have to work together, and that means the Knights; considering the Queens haven't spoken since 1066, I'm realistic enough to know that even being faced with Outsiders might not be enough to make those two opposing forces of nature draw a truce.

So, humanity ftw! I need to encourage Court co-operation, stop the Mantle taking over Kindred, and clear my work backlog – which right now means the twelve-foot troll that I'm trudging across a field towards.

Oh, and I still have a day job. Some days it really ain't worth chewing through the straps.

I'm heading for a bridge across the Fosse, which still flows deeply in the NeverNever. It's a Way and an awkward point on conflict between the Fae; most of the Bridges have trolls and tolls, negotiated carefully. However, this particular troll has been having a few issues.

As I walk towards the Bridge, a large lump that I'd taken for a grassy mound rises. It's a troll with wettish-green skin and emerald eyes, towering over me. And it looks strangely familiar..."Skeli?"

He finishes lumbering to his feet and scowls at me. "Lady Knight."

We've met previously, back when I was an Envoy for my brother to the Summer Court. Kindred pissed Skeli off and then tried to get me to protect him...I did negotiate my way out of it, but I never did get Skeli his revenge on the Winter Emissary for the insult. Damn.

I bow. "I would speak with you. Will you hear me?"

He sits, getting himself down to my level; at least now his head is just above mine. "I will hear you, Lady Knight."

I've got a dilemma here. Skeli's been hurting the people who won't pay the toll, as he's entitled to do. The problem is that he's been a bit too enthusiastic about it, and the weregild for the deaths and injuries has now exceeded what he's bringing in with tolls. Queen Titania has asked me to sort it...somehow.

And I haven't got a clue.

I outline the problem for Skeli, who glowers. "It is my right."

As he hefts the club, I have a brainwave. I know he isn't going to change; Fae nature is Fae nature. "It is your right. I just want to change one thing."

Half an hour later, the idea has got through into Skeli's head, and he's agreed. I've got a commission for the Svartalves; a set of troll-sized rings with "CHEAT" marked on them. Skeli can still punch people, they'll be marked as non-payers, and he'll stop killing them. Win for everyone except the people with "cheat" stamped into their foreheads, but then they shouldn't use the Bridge if they don't want to pay the toll.

I shove my hands in my pockets again as I step onto the North Way. If the Winter Court is this bad, how the hell did Slate find time-

Hah. Who am I kidding. Like the previous Winter Knight did any of this sort of stuff! I have a conscience. Like hell any of Winter do...apart from Kindred.

And even that's not very certain.


	2. Learning To Fight

It's a Thursday morning - I think. Time gets a little vague in the NeverNever and with eternal Summer, it's difficult to tell. The previous Knight lived here for a hundred years, give or take...and I'm beginning to understand how you could lose track of time.

But I'm standing in a grassy field, under a beautiful summer sun, with Davido floating above me and a beautiful, cat-eyed woman in leather and silver armour standing in front of me. I'm here for weapons training with my Lady's tactician and general.

The Lady Marshall Nemain lifts one of the wooden blades from the ground and hands it to me hilt-first. "Have you used one of these, Lady Knight?"

I heft it awkwardly. "No."

"Then I shall teach you."

I'm not great, but I pick things up relatively fast. She shows me how to stand and hold the blade, and then starts to teach me some of the moves. She's very formal, and I almost feel as if it's a Court dance. I also wonder how I'm doing. Her impassive face doesn't give a lot away.

And then she grounds her sword. "Lesson over. Return in two days."

I'm panting, my eyes filled with sweat and my muscles burning. Two days...why am I even learning this again?

She remains formal throughout the next few lessons, teaching me to parry and lunge and dance. I'm clumsy and awkward, and I keep messing up. I'm forgetting the poses, I can't move fast enough, and by the time the sword is jarred out of my hand and I land on my knees thanks to a sword-blow to the shoulder, I'm about ready to give up. I think Nemain is too.

"You are useless," she spits at me, the first flash of fury and disgust I've seen in her.

I'm on my knees, gasping out tears, burying my hands in the soft grass beneath us. She's right. I'm crap.

But something burns, deep in my core, worming to the surface.

I will not be him.

Which means I am not him.

I'm up off my knees in an instant, Summer giving me strength as Kindred taught me, long ago on the Iron Road. I take Nemain's legs out from under her and trap her in a hold. It's over in two seconds, and she only struggles for an instant before the pain kicks in and she knows she's beaten.

And then I release her, before things get too fraught.

"I'm not weak. I just do things differently."

She picks herself up and stalks away.

I've headed back to Hackpen, finding my spot to sit. I've got my arms wrapped around my knees, and I probably don't look like much of a glamorous Knight at the moment. My eyes are red from crying, my hair's wind-blown, and I've still got grass-stains on my clothes from the fighting practise. I look awful and I feel awful. Who says self-pity can't make you feel better?

I don't wallow for too long. I eventually release my knees, scrub my eyes and sit up. The view hasn't really changed from when I used to sit up here with Warren, but I hate the way I've changed.

Not much as I can do about, I guess. I gotta be fatalistic.

As I'm about to drop down into self-pity again, I catch movement. There's a figure walking up the track, and the effortless glamour of it says that it's probably Sidhe. As it gets closer, it turns out to be Nemain. I stay where I am, and she come to squat down next to me on the grass, somehow still looking beautiful. I hate the Sidhe sometimes.

"When I first met you," Nemain says to the view, "I did not like you. I thought his liaison with a mortal was foolish."

It's an uninspiring way to start a conversation, but I manage a smile. "To be fair, it was."

I don't think she expected me to say that. She pauses, and then nods. "I will accept that you have different methods to him. But I must counsel you against your liaison with the Winter Knight."

"Antagonism doesn't work." I turn to her. "Nemain, Warren wasn't human. Not while he was Knight and not at the end. I am."

Nemain's beautiful face screws up and she leans close to me. "If I see you infected, I will kill you with my own hand," she spits.

I meet her eyes. "If I am infected, I want you to do it." My throat is dry, and my voice shakes. "I won't be him."

She blinks. And then she leans back.

"I've got to use my own methods. Let me be human for a while." I say into the silence.

She looks faintly disapproving. "The Mantle will always win out."

"But in fifty, a hundred years." I wonder how long I will live, and if Kindred's icicles will hurt when they plunge into my chest. Maybe he'll die before he can kill me - the Winter Knights aren't known for their length of position. "I'll fight it all the way."

She smiles, for the first time. "I see my Queen's fire in you."

I'm silent, looking out over the view. I didn't ask for that fire.

"So what do you want?" I say after a minute.

"My Queen has requested we rid the Court territory of vampires from the Black Court. There is a scourge found near one of the Barrows, and we do not like their preying on our kin. You are to lead us."

I stand, feeling nerves jangle in my stomach. I knew the Knight was meant to be a fighter and a general; I'm the defence force, both for the Queen and Lady and for Summer more generally. But this is my first formal fight, and I'm really, really nervous.

But I shut it inside. I've done worse than this. And I've got backup now. "Have you assembled a force?" I ask Nemain as she stands in turn.

"They will be waiting when we return."

I'm getting better at worldwalking; the rip in the scenery opens to display the shadowed land of the NeverNever. The Ridgeline is one of the Ways, but this section is always grey. I wonder what it takes its reflection from.

Nemain and I step through, and head back to Summer.

My team consists of what nasties Summer can draw, which I have to admit is quite a few. The sylphs look pretty until you spot the claws, and we've borrowed two trolls. There's three Sidhe, with their cat-slitted eyes, stunning glamour and assorted weaponry, and my least-favourite Centaur has also decided to join the party. Whether this is to make fun of me when I mess up or just because he likes hunting Black Court vampires, I don't know. And, of course, we've got my honour guard of Little Folk, who have brought their friends. They're an excitable mass of chatter and bragging above us, with bottle-cap shields and needle-thin, razor-sharp swords.

Nemain's filled me in on the location, and one of the Sylphs has been scouting. Based on what I know, I'm going for the element of surprise - and I've got a trick up my sleeve. For a basic plan, we go for blocking up the entrances and flushing them out. They're unlikely to step through to the real world, so hopefully we'll get them.

It's something, anyway.

The barrow is silent as we circle it. We've all veiled, and we're moving as stealthily as creatures of the land can. I'm their biggest liability, but I've been practising, and I manage the approach without - I think - anyone spotting me.

We reached the barrow, and spread out. Sir Markham's next to me on one side; Nemain's on the other. The Little Folk have dived through to the real world to act as our sentries there. Everyone's waiting.

I stand, and drop my veil. I'm an unprotected human, standing in full view, waiting for the monsters inside to come and play.

I smile. "Come out, come out, wherever you are..."

And the monsters come from the shadows.

A few days ago, I was sat on the top of Hackpen Hill, where Warren and I had often sat, mentally going through my repertoire of spells. Tracking - well, one type of tracking, one that Kindred taught me. I need to keep working on that. The fire, Summer's heat and fury – yep. What else?

I start wondering about sunlight, and a memory from Harry Potter strikes me. Patronus. I wonder if I can do that?

And then I wonder what happy memories I even have left.

Warren...half an hour with those leaves me weeping bitterly, feeling as if most of my chest is stuffed with dry, dusty concrete. They're happy memories, but it simply reminds me of what I've lost.

When was I last truly happy?

Grass under my bare feet, darkness and spinning lights around me, breathless and laughing as I whirled with the Little Folk to music that only we could hear...

Push away Kindred's yearning face and I've got a memory. I think back to other times in Vegas, and settle on a moment; walking along the street at midday in skirt and sandals, Davido sitting on my shoulder, feeling the heat on my skin and sun in my hair, concrete and weeds and fencing and neon all around, a lightness and warmth filling me...

Sunlight pours from my hands, lighting my seat. I must look like a human star, and I laugh.

And then I sober. How do I turn it off?

Well, I've got too many bad memories to choose from, but the light abruptly goes out.

And now, facing down the vampires in the shadows as they run towards us with their lengthening teeth and corpse-like bodies-

I bring them sunlight.

I am stepping through the streets of Vegas, completely free for an instant, utterly happy. Warmth fills my skin, my hands, my smile, and I laugh as my sunlight chases the shadows back, leaving crumbling corpses in its wake, the years catching up with each screaming victim. My honour guard step forward with the light wrapping around their forms, and it walks with them into the caves, chasing those hiding out to die by the ravages of the sunshine or on the blades of my Sidhe warriors.

And then a file of human and Fae victims are stumbling out, shielding their eyes in the brightness, and the Lady Marshall is standing in front of me, still wrapped in my golden glow.

"It is done, Lady Knight."

I have practised this. I have. But the transition from happy memory to sad is a punch in the gut, doubly painful because it dams the sunlight flowing out of me, and I can't help it. Nemain catches me as I crumple.

"You did well, Lady Knight," she says in a voice low enough to reach my ears only. "You will do."


	3. Escort Duty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I gotta play with canon characters somehow! I never really got into this; I just can't capture them as well as Butcher does.

This morning I've been assigned to escort a group of Wardens through Summer territory. It's a formality, but a courteous one - and does have a darker side. The area they want to go through has been changing rapidly, and I'm to check for signs of trouble. There are worse jobs, I suppose.

I'm waiting by the edge of the path, leaning against a tree, when a rip opens up in the air. I see a rainy city with a damp pavement and brick wall on the other side, and then I straighten as three people step through. They're all wearing grey cloaks, and have swords belted by their hips. I'm learning to tell the magical ones; they have a sort of aura around them, not a visible thing but a way of walking, a way of looking, that speaks of power.

One's a tall, skinny woman who nods briefly to me. The second is an older man with lines at the corners of his eyes and his white hair speaking of age, even if his body doesn't. He takes a moment to scan me, but he too dismisses me, hefting his tall staff as he turns away. I know what they're seeing; a white-haired changeling woman, a Summer Court lackey who hasn't yet made her decision. It's not a glamour; I'm just not dressed as a Knight. I've got a loose shirt, jeans and boots, and my gun tucked away in the back of my jeans. My hair has reached the choppy stage so it never looks tidy - or even brushed. I don't look much like anyone important, and not even really any kind of fighter.

It's only the third man, a younger man with amazing cheekbones and melting eyes, who takes the time to bow to me as the rip closes behind him. "You're our guide?"

I simply nod and gesture. "This way."

The two other wizards stride off, but the younger one falls in beside me. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"Dini." I quirk an eyebrow at him to respond.

"Ramirez."

"The US Warden?"

He seems pleased that I know who he is, and his manner softens. "Please, call me Carlos. How long have you been with the Court?"

"Only a few months. Where did you step through from? Was that America?"

"Chicago. We had business there. Have you ever visited?"

"A few times..." I'm enjoying chatting, but also keeping one eye out on the landscape. I know Davido and Mica are scouting and they'll warn me for incoming trouble, but I need to keep alert.

We've got onto stories of Vegas when I feel the lines of Summer around me change, and Mica and Davido both shoot down to me at the same time. "Goblins! Goblins!"

Ramirez has his sword out in an instant. Up ahead, the woman draws hers, but the man simply shifts his grip on his staff. I draw lightly on the Summer flame inside me, and feel the world come alight. Shit, fifteen of them, a big pack...that would explain a lot of the trouble.

Four of the burly, bat-eared creatures lope out of the scrub up ahead of us to face the two wizards there and I turn, tugging my gun out of my jeans, knowing more are coming from behind. Ramirez turns an instant behind me as a large group breaks cover. A moment later and one is down, a bullet through its skull; a second and third follow, one with half its head missing and the second howling in pain as the iron bullet lodges in its chest. It won't last long, and Davido has already swooped down towards it.

Ramirez has already engaged one; a sword-thrust takes off its arm at the wrist, sending the claw and club it was holding spinning. As the goblin howls, a second graceful sword-thrust takes its head off.

I've stepped past him to engage a third. It lunges for me and I hear Ramirez's cry of warning, but I've already ducked the claw and come nose-to-nose with the thing. I see a flicker of triumph in its eyes before it tumbles limply backwards, iron making quick work of the wound in its throat.

The US Warden has already got another two as I turn, his sword flickering and darting. I let the Summer flame inside me alight and fling my hand out, letting a beam of pure white heat slam into the two goblins at the side of the path. I might have miscalculated slightly and set fire to some of the shrubland, but it has the bonus effect of getting two more goblins out of hiding and into range.

Ahead of us on the path, the older wizard is blasting pretty effectively, and the woman's sword has made the same quick work of the goblins that Ramirez has. They're tough and burly, but the sword go through them as if there's nothing there. The combination of iron and magic just cuts through the inhuman toughness, and I've got a similar advantage with my bullets.

I put another one through a goblin's leg and roll out of the way of a quick swipe. Mica's already gone for its eyes and I slam my foot into the injured leg, sending the thing tumbling with a squeal. Ramirez spins gracefully and with one balletic movement puts his sword down through its chest. It spasms for a second, and then goes limp.

"Nice," I comment as I come to my feet.

He gives me a quick grin. "Behind you."

Blam.

And it's gone backwards, most of its head missing from my fireball. I've been practising.

Ahead of us, the two wizards are finishing the final threats. I can sense two goblins out in the scrub, but they're running as fast as they can away from us. Thirteen bodies lying sprawled around us, gore staining the earth...

I shiver.

The woman bends to wipe her sword on the turf, and the older man looks around. I smoothly tuck my gun back into my jeans and flip the shirt over it as he comes round to us, hoping that most of the chaos will look like Ramirez. The older man takes in the bodies lying around us as Ramirez bends to clean his own sword before sheathing it, and then we both walk forward.

As we reach him, I can see him re-assessing me. "I didn't get your name."

"Dini." I give him a small bow.

He holds out a hand. "Ebenezer."

I shake it, trying to keep the Summer flame contained, and being careful not to meet his eyes. "I'm honoured, sir. But we'd better go before the carrion-eaters get here."

It's already getting darker; shadows are starting to gather. The woman looks around, but Ebenezer and Ramirez have already started moving. I form the rear-guard, and we go again.

It's not far until we join the North Way, and then my task is done; they're back on the Ways. Carlos and I are chatting about American food as we approach, and he doesn't realise that I've stopped for an instant. His face is comically sad as he turns.

"You are leaving us, Miss Dini?"

"You're back on the Way," I say, smiling. "My duty is done."

The woman and Ebenezer have stopped, and are obviously waiting for Ramirez. He bows over my hand. "Well, you have our thanks, ma'am. I hope to meet you again soon."

I bow in turn, bow politely to the other two wizards, and then turn and walk away. The mists will swallow me before I've got too far.


	4. Council Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, playing. I just can't capture Harry properly - too few things on fire, I think.But hey, it was a fun experiment!

"We need you to go to Edinburgh," Rowan says to me. We've met in the glade outside Titania's Court, and the Summer Lady is obviously in a hurry. "For the White Council. They want information on the Jade Court."

I have attended negotiations with the Jade Court alongside my Lady, but I haven't had much to do with the White Council. "When?"

"Tomorrow. They have just been approached and need our advice."

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, but don't really have time to protest. "Davido can guide you," Rowan says, and is gone into the trees.

Well, that's all sorted then.

My journey to Edinburgh is quicker than I had expected; it's a change at the Fosse Bridge and then another Way, mercifully short, but through Winter territory. I keep my hands out of my pockets and my power concealed, and make it through with only a few glimpses of Wyldfae. And then, stepping through a stile-gate, I arrive at a towering rockface with a large gate set into it. There's two wizards in front; one young-ish woman with black, curling hair and serious eyes, and the other an older man with a grumpy expression, who's obviously mid-grumble as I approach.

"State your business," the grumpy man snaps.

"I am here as Queen Titania's representative." I bring forth the twist of flame that demonstrates my power.

The curly-haired woman bows to me. "Please follow me."

We walk through the gateway and into a tunnel, grey stone and bright lights overhead. It's about fifteen minutes of walking, and I just let my guide walk ahead; she's obviously not in a chatty mood. We pass a few other people, some of whom glance at me and then away. And then we walk through a set of double doors, guarded by two more young wizards, and into a large tiered chamber. It's about half full, and I get a lot of looks as I walk in. I'm still informal, in loose shirt and jeans, although my hair is intricately knotted up with tiny acorns and I've got Davido on my shoulder. I can see why I'm dismissed by the majority of the wizards even though I'm given a seat at the front of the Council. I'm obviously a Summer minion, and Titania's got enough influence that even her most minor lackey can be accorded some courtesy.

I spot Warden Ramirez across the floor, and he gives me a quick grin. Scanning around, I recognise a lot of the faces from my snooping - hey, once a journalist, always a journalist. I like to know the people I'm dealing with. I also spot the older man, Ebenezer, and the woman that I guided.

The room fills up pretty fast after I'm seated, and a wizard with sleek brown hair - the Merlin - stands and calls the room to order. The Council drops into Latin for a few minutes as it comes to order, and then switches back to English.

A grizzled wizard is up first, giving a report on a dispute with the Fomor; a second reports on something concerning the leylines. And then the Merlin returns to the floor. "We have been approached by a representative of the Jade Court," he announces.

"What about?" Ebenezer asks bluntly when the Merlin pauses.

"We don't know." The Merlin waits for the mutters to die down. "They have approached us and asked for a meeting, but have not offered any other information. As this is such an unusual situation, I have brought it before the Council and we have requested advice." He turns to me. "I ask Queen Titania's emissary to speak to the Council."

I stand. I'm feeling really nervous, but at the same time, oddly calm. I've got an outsider's status here, and it means I can get away with things that the wizards can't. "Thank you, Merlin. The Summer Court have also been approached by the Jade Court, and Queen Titania has agreed to offer our perspective on your situation." I pause for an instant, considering. We can't break our neutrality or offer any specifics that could suggest we're aiding the Council, but at the same time, I do have things I want to say. "The request for a meeting and refusal to disclose information are standard Jade Court behaviour; it does not strike me as dishonourable. They prefer to speak only to those whose word matters, and who can make the decisions - they will not give you information unless you need it. As for why they have requested this, I would advise the Council to think about why the Jade Court would approach them-"

"Stating the obvious," someone grumbles loudly enough to be heard.

I ignore it. "My suggestion to you, sir, is to consider your common enemies."

"Red Court?" the grizzled wizard asks.

I incline my head very slightly. "Of course, I cannot suggest to you that the Jade Court are not interested in finding out the Council's weaknesses and vulnerabilities. But my experience would suggest that they are looking for allies against a common and growing foe." I hope that's enough of a warning for the Council, too, although I doubt it. From what I've seen of their power, they tend to be over-confident. Maybe they do need a nudge... "And as such I would also advise you to look to your own relations with the Red Court."

"And you are?" a round-faced wizard asks from behind me. It's not a dismissal, it's simply a reflection of how lowly he thinks my status is.

I just smile. "Queen Titania's chosen Emissary in this matter. You may choose or ignore my advice as you will. But I would advise against ignoring it."

Someone else stands. "Wizard, you are out of order. We have very little knowledge concerning the Jades, and we should welcome any information." She turns to me. "Emissary, I believe you have agreed to speak more privately after the Council on this matter?"

I bow. "I would be honoured, Ancient Mai."

I see Ramirez's face twitch in a smile, and there are a couple of other frowns. They don't expect an Emissary to know wizards.

Mai nods to me, and I sit down again.

The rest of the Council is faintly interesting, in a unique way - I'm sure that if I had to come to these, they would shortly become tedious. After a few small arguments and some instructions, the Merlin breaks it up.

Mai stands and quickly speaks to the two wizards next to her before heading across the floor to a third. As I stand, I watch Ramirez intercept her briefly, and then she nods.

He continues across the floor towards me just as two of his fellow-wizards are approaching, and slides deftly between them. I see the glares at his back and conceal a smile. How many of the wizards were going to offer to guide me to Mai's meeting? I might be a lowly Summer emissary, but I'm pretty enough to hold a conversation with.

I hold out my hand to Ramirez with a genuine smile of pleasure as he reaches me. "Carlos, it's lovely to see you again."

"And yourself." He turns my hand over and lightly kisses the back. "I'm in this meeting too. May I guide you to Mai's office?"

"That's very kind of you. Thank you."

He offers his arm to me, which I take. I feel a lot of pairs of eyes on our backs as he guides me out of the chamber.

"Well, that was fun." Ramirez says. "Is there any particular reason you're keeping your status quiet?"

"No-one's asked," I flip back lightly. "And if it makes them underestimate me, then all to the better."

"That's unusual. We prefer to be hit over the head with power."

I smile. "I'll work on that. What gave it away to you?"

"You're too handy with a weapon to have been an ordinary guide. And," Ramirez admits cheerfully, "I asked."

"Why?"

"I wanted to know if you were available." The melting look in his eyes tells me exactly what he's trying to convey.

He gets a Kindred-style smirk back. "I didn't think wizards were allowed to fraternise with troublemakers."

"We're more than able to make our own trouble, ma'am. I like a little help occasionally."

"I'll bear it in mind." I stop in the corridor and meet his eyes for a second, my expression slipping to serious. "If you do need me for business, Carlos, I'm Paranet as well as Summer. I'll help you if I can."

"Do I ask for Dini?"

"Dini Richardson...or ask the Little Folk to contact the Ice Cream Lady. They'll know."

He throws his head back and laughs. It's a warm, full-bodied laugh that I like. "The Ice Cream Lady? That's you?"

I wait for him to stop laughing, but I am smiling.

"I've heard so many stories! You bribed the entire Summer Court into compliance with ice cream, you got half the Wyldfae on your side through strategic frozen goods, you've got the entire Little Folk network screaming about how amazing you are. I've heard of the Ice Cream Lady from Vegas to Japan." He's stepped back and is frankly assessing me, and I can see his opinion of me rising. "And now you're-"

"More involved in the Court," I fill in for him.

"Brilliant!" He's mostly stopped laughing. "I'm even more honoured to meet you, Dini."

I give him a bow. "I honestly didn't realise I was that famous, though," I admit as we start walking again.

"Unfortunately so." He's grinning. "By the way, can I ask what happened to your predecessor?"

I raise an eyebrow.

"You haven't been officially introduced to us," he adds. "It's simply personal curiosity."

"He was replaced," I say coolly.

"Mai will ask as well, you realise."

I shrug. "It's a Court matter." And then I relent a little, seeing the brown eyes still staring at me. "He wasn't killed, if that's what you mean. We're not the Winter Court."

He grins at me with a look that brings a blush to my cheeks. "No, you are most definitely not."

We step out into a wider corridor, and Ramirez pushes open a door. "In here, ma'am."

It's a beautiful room; one wall is enchanted to look like a forest in China, and a second is covered with an elaborate screen. There is a round table in one corner, and several narrow sofas. Ramirez leaves the door partly open and gestures for me to sit.

"Tea?" he asks. "I know you Brits love it."

"Do you know how to make it?"

"Not at all," he admits frankly. "But I'm always willing to experiment."

I have to laugh at the eyebrow waggle he gives to accompany the words. He's refreshing and I have to admit that I like him.

"Actually, your tea should be all right," the Warden adds, tugging a rope on one wall. "Mai likes things done properly."

A young man appears, takes an order for tea - "Green, ma'am? Or Jasmine?" - and goes again. Five minutes later, he brings a steaming pot and beautifully-decorated cup, along with a mug of coffee for Ramirez.

I am on one knee at the table, carefully pouring the tea in a shining stream, when I feel the breath of air from the door opening. I finish what I am doing, set the pot back down, and stand.

Ancient Mai's lined face is watching me with a thoughtful expression. There are three people behind her in the corridor, but it's still a moment before she steps into the room and gives me a nod.

One of the men behind is the Merlin, and the second is the round-faced wizard from the Council. The third is Warden Victoria Caito, who I know as the Wiltshire Warden. Why is she on a Council about the Jades?

Mai's servant takes more drinks orders, and we all arrange ourselves on the sofas as the drinks are brought. I have the teacup nestled in my hands, enjoying the warmth. And when I take a sip, it's beautiful; the flavour of the jasmine is so subtle that it's hardly there, but still almost overwhelms.

Mai's eyes are on my face again, and I smile. "I thank you for your hospitality, Ancient One."

"You are welcome, Knight of Summer."

Only the round-faced wizard reacts; the Merlin either knew or is very good at controlling his expression, and Caito already knows. "You're the Knight? Why didn't you say this in the Council?"

I simply raise my eyes up from the steaming tea. "You were informed that I was the Emissary of my Queen."

Luckily that one is broken up by the arrival of two more people. One is a very tall wizard with messy hair and angular, almost raw cheekbones, and the other is Ebenezer. The older man stomps in, leaving the tall man to shut the door and take the final chair.

"I believe introductions are in order," Mai says. "If you will?"

I put the teacup down, and let a tiny hint of Summer flow into me. I know that it will make my hair shine, my movements graceful, bring a moment of light and warmth to this underground cave. "I am the Knight of the Summer Court. I thank you for your hospitality and your invitation to your Council, Wardens and wizards."

Ebenezer merely grunts a greeting; Ramirez grins at me, and Caito just nods. The tall wizard gives me a half-smile as I raise an eyebrow at him. "Harry Dresden."

"I am pleased to meet you." I incline my head, and give the same raised eyebrow to the round-faced wizard.

I think for a moment that he'll refuse to give his name, but he eventually snaps out, "Wizard Marcos."

"That is everyone," Mai says from her seat. She also had a tea bowl, steaming on the table in front of her "So. The Jades. What do you know?"

I pick up my tea again and place my hands back down in my lap, curling them around the delicate china. "Vampires. Primarily in China. The Court has been negotiating with them for territorial rights in the NeverNever for the past few years. What do you wish to know?"

"Their food. Weaknesses. Strengths," the round-faced wizard, Marcos, barks. "We know almost nothing about them."

I raise my eyebrows at him. "You could find out."

"Jades are notoriously secretive."

I don't change my expression.

His face darkens. I can see that I pissed him off by wrong-footing him on the Knight thing, and now he thinks I'm stonewalling. "You know all of this, and you are refusing to tell us-"

"Wizard Marcos, you are once again out of line," Mai says flatly.

I raise my tea mug again, savouring the heat. "Wizard, I cannot give you a plan of attack or a method to fight the vampires. I do not know the nature of your dispute with them, but the Summer Court has opted to negotiate rather than fight them. We do not wish to be accused of helping the White Council launch an attack. Based on this, what do you wish to know?"

"Their main locations," Ramirez says, leaning forward. "How many you think there are. Their habits, their strengths, their weaknesses."

"And in return for this information?"

"Well, what do you want?" Caito snaps.

I take another sip of my tea. "Equivalent information for another group."

"Such as?"

"Yourselves?" I offer calmly.

"Refused." Mai says before anyone else can speak.

I conceal a smile and then offer, "The Fomor."

Ebenezer and Mai exchange a glance.

"I'd go for that," Dresden says. "We're not likely to get a better offer."

"Just can't keep your mouth shut, can you, Hoss," Ebenezer grumbles. "Well, Knight?" He snaps the title at me.

"I will accept that."

It's Caito, Ramirez and the tall wizard who guide me back to the doorway that will take us into the NeverNever. Ramirez and the tall wizard, Dresden, are heading back to America, whereas my path, and Caito's, will diverge from theirs a little way before Fosse Bridge. Ramirez waves his hand, the portal opens, and we step through.

As we come out into the NeverNever, I relax. I can feel Summer again; I don't feel hemmed in by the wards and the rock, aware of being buried far underground under layers of protection. The sunshine is on my skin again, and I smile as we start to walk.

We've got a little way along the Way, travelling through two checkpoints that mark the change from one area to another, when I feel someone behind me. The tall wizard catches up with me and strides alongside, his long steps making one to two of mine.

I glance sideways. He's eyeing me with a faintly suspicious expression, and so I raise an eyebrow at him. "Yes?"

"Why didn't you say?"

"She's tricksy," Ramirez says lightly from just ahead of me, stopping for a moment to let us catch up.

I give a slight shrug. "If anyone had asked for my name or title, I would have given it."

"You should mention that you're the Ice Cream Lady, though," Ramirez puts in with a wide grin.

The tall wizard's eyes widen. "You are? Hah!" That seems to have got me into his good books, and he stops to extends a hand that almost engulfs mine. "Pleased to meet you."

"Why is that such a thing?" I mock-grumble, shaking his hand. "Apparently I'm infamous."

"I feed them pizza," Dresden offers with a grin as we start to walk again. "So where are you from? You're a Brit, aren't you?"

"Wiltshire." I let the burr come into my voice, and Caito chuckles from ahead of us. "Yourself?"

"Chicago."

And then my Summer senses, still revelling in the freedom from the caves, catch something.

Dresden catches my expression. "What?" he asks.

Caito is striding ahead, but Ramirez spots my tenseness as I swing round, looking to see what's there. "Something...Caito!"

She stops abruptly, hand on his sword, and then starts backing towards us. Ramirez and Dresden have both turned, their backs to me and each other, looking out into the wilderness surrounding us. It's scrubland and dark shrubs, forming shadowy blocks that fade out into the horizon.

"This is a Way," Caito snaps, her hand on her sword hilt. "What do you think it is?"

I lift up my hands, and produce something akin to a small sun. It drifts from my fingertips, floating up and up...

"That'd be spiders, then," Dresden says, sounding almost cheerful.

"Oh yay." I leave my miniature sun up there and shake my hands out, feeling the power draw already. This is going to hurt.

Dresden's got a good line in fireballs from a rod he's pulled from somewhere under his coat, and Caito and Ramirez both have their swords; I'm slamming fire into every set of eyes I can see. But the spiders keep coming.

"Dini, turn your light off!" Ramirez shouts to me after a few minutes of bloody combat. "It's drawing them!"

Fuck oh fuck oh fuck-

"Wait, I've got a better idea," Dresden says from beside me. His staff is still burning with fire, and he rams it into the multiple eyes of a spider that gets too close. The thing squeals and backs off. "Send it the other way."

"We're sending it away!" I yell back to Ramirez. "Run!"

I've got to do it slowly, letting the light draw them off. My tiny sun floats away from us, travelling down the path. The spiders are still around us, but I can see the ones on the outside moving. We're not out of the woods yet, but it helps.

"Get moving!" Dresden snaps at me, kicking a spider that's got too close.

I take a step, take another. I'm trying to concentrate on everything at once. "Tell me where I'm going!"

I hear him mutter an oath, and then I'm swung up. He's bloody lucky that I'm used to Kindred; after the first second of shock I don't even squirm, letting him dump me over his shoulder and start sprinting towards Ramirez and Caito, who are clearing the few spiders left on the path. It means I can focus on my tiny sun, still vanishing in the distance, and I can still feel it burning. After a few minutes, I hammer on Dresden's back. "We're clear, put me down!"

Ramirez and Caito have stopped, swords still drawn. Dresden puts me down as carefully as he can, although he's panting quite heavily. "Sorry, ma'am. Chivalry and all that."

I look back along the path. My sun's still there, and reluctantly, I let it go. "Thank you, Mr Dresden. I greatly appreciate your gesture."

"Now, shall we get out of here?" Caito asks acidly.

We leave Dresden and Ramirez at the next junction. The tall wizard shakes my hand again, and I meet his eyes for a moment. "I owe you a small debt, sir. I don't usually tolerate being carried, but that was extremely useful."

"Just grateful you didn't object, ma'am." He's grinning broadly.

Ramirez kisses my hand again with that melting smile. "I look forward to our next meeting, Miss Dini."

He really is handsome, and I feel a pang of something that's almost pain. I miss Warren. I haven't stopped missing him, and anyone else that I appreciate just seems to reinforce it.

Caito and I walk the rest of the way in quiet discussion about Swindon, talking over some of the supernatural moves and what I - either in my Summer role or simply as a negotiator - can do about them. It's useful to have the contacts, and it helps me to feel that the world I've left behind is a little more secure.

She leaves me at the entrance to Lloyds, and I stand in the Parade for a moment, jamming my hands in my pockets. The spiders have irritated me, and I'm suddenly feeling in a really shitty mood. Ramirez makes me want to fuck him, but he's obviously more the flirt type. Even Dresden would have been interesting if he wasn't so insular - or hung up on someone else.

That makes me sigh. I'm hung up on someone else, and that was one hell of a way to enda relationship. I'm going to be screwed for a while now, I think.


	5. Fight

I dig out my phone, sit on the doorstep at Lloyds, and text my least favourite person.

"I need a fight or a fuck. You up for either?"

Both. Where are you?

"Lloyds."

K

Ten minutes later, there's a faint itch between my shoulderblades, and I sense the Way opening behind me. I push Summer down and don't turn, and ten seconds later Kindred's battered trainers are standing next to me.

I look up into a scarred face, periwinkle-blue eyes, and a superior smirk. "While you're down there, dollface..."

"You're shit at glamours. You wouldn't be able to disguise that." I unfold myself, feeling irritated again at how much taller he is than me. "Both?"

Kindred jerks a thumb at the sword on his back. "I could use some practise. I figure we go out into the wilderness and have a damn good go at killing each other before finding somewhere more...private."

"Sounds like fun. Let me get mine."

His eyes glitter. "Now that sounds like an unfair advantage."

"My second choice is the gun." I grin at him.

"Now I think about it..."

I snort. "Too late. Let's go, then."

The wildness is out in the NeverNever, on the edge of Winter territory. It's a clear area of scrubland, twisted by the winds and scoured by the weather; obviously a reflection of something in the real world, but I can't place where. The ground is mostly grass and scrub, with occasional rocks and bushes. The sky above us is iron-grey as Kindred and I walk out into the centre of the open space, and then the Winter Knight turns. "So, rules?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Like you'd obey them."

He shrugs. "I don't want to die today. I'd rather save that for the Solstice."

My lips twitch. "But you'll kill me if you can. How about any call for surrender is accepted? Even you have to honour that. No maiming, no killing, and best of three rounds."

His eyes light up. "Best of three, no maiming or killing, and surrender accepted. Deal."

I spit on my hand and hold it out. He spits on his, we smack palms, and then he goes for his sword.

I'm already moving, stepping out of the way of the blow. He's got power and strength on his side; I've got grace, speed and illusion. Oh, and fire.

The sword whistles past my ear and then Kindred spins and lunges. He's got a nice technique, I'll give him that; it's what Nemain has been trying to drill into me for weeks. But the figure he's trying to hit isn't actually there. There's a Dini diving backwards, rolling across the scrub, and I'm already behind him and my foot slams into the back of his knee, sending him into a roll. He's still got his sword in one hand but as he comes up there's two of me, and as he slashes at the wrong one I'm driving my fingers into the crook of his elbow and then jabbing my elbow for his throat. He blocks that, but he's dropped the sword and a knee to his chest pushes him away for it. A second later, I'm knelt over him and my fingertips are at his throat, fire flaming down my arm. 

I could kill him...

The periwinkle-blue eyes stare up into mine, and then he spits, "Round one to you."

We separate, and Kindred grabs the sword again. I'm at a disadvantage now; he knows I can use illusion and use it well, and that I prefer to get close and personal to win. And we both know the sword gives him power; get him away from that and he loses some of his Winter advantages. He'll be wary of those tactics now.

We circle for a few moments, trying to get a feel for what the other is going to do. He's spinning the sword round his hand, and for a moment I regret not having mine. But...well. I don't think I need it.

Summer fills me.

I fling my hand out, and fire shoots out, straight for him. Kindred swings the sword up, blocking it, catching the flame and twisting it around the frozen blade. A second bolt forces him to jump awkwardly and then a snowball is shooting towards me.

I dodge just in time, but it catches my shoulder and throws me off-balance, giving Kindred time to lunge forward. The sword's whistling past my head but another blast of fire knocks it away.

And then Kindred mutters something that sounds like, "Fuck this for a game of soldiers," and throws the sword away.

It lands a few metres away on the scrub, and he grins at me as I straighten up, incredulous. He's thrown away an advantage? "It's more fun this way, dollface."

That's when we both catch sight of the audience.

The edges of the ground are collecting Fae. I spot a centaur and what looks like a shadow-giant lurking at the back, half hidden by a scrubby tree. There's a nightmare with bat wings and fangs, sitting next to a Summer troll. There are Little Folk above us, flitting, along with something I think is a harpy of some type.

I catch Kindred's eye. He shrugs. "They like a show."

I smile back at him, feeling Summer wrap around me. "Then let's play."

Icicles crystalise on his fingertips, and the Winter Knight lunges at me. A fast snowball to the head tries to throw me off-guard, but a blast of fire takes care of that and a quick side-step lets the blades whistle past my chest. A blast of fire melts their edges and forces Kindred to turn away, but then a blast of wind has caught me in the chest and I'm flung backwards. The landing almost knocks the breath out of me, and I roll aside as something hammers into the ground.

Let's play, indeed.

The grass around Kindred's feet explodes into flame. He looks down for an instant, and I fling out my own blast of air, curling around him. It's a play on one of the shields, making it almost hard, and it does knock his balance out, sending him tumbling. An instant later and it's tightened around his ankles, but he somehow manages to break it and ice is forming around me. In the time it takes me to break that, he's closed the distance between us and his fist slams into my stomach, sending me sprawling backwards. I'm still drawing on Summer as I roll aside from his lunge, but he's quick too; he catches my arm and then I'm pinned, his hands around my throat and his weight pressing down...

I feel the world start to darken. Summer is screaming at me but for a brief, blissful moment it's just cold, and dark, and I'm so tired...

It's the noise that brings me back. There's a cacophony of noise, from screams and shouts to animal noises and worse, a wall of sound that's slamming into me, making me remember there's a world, making Summer hum and burn, making me breathe and cough.

Kindred's weight is still on my chest, but the pressure on my throat has gone. I open my eyes, feeling my lungs burn as I draw a breath.

"Thought I'd really done it then," Kindred says over the noise of the Fae audience. I guess that's all the apology I'm going to get for him nearly killing me.

He gets off me, and I push myself up. The audience quietens a little and I smile at my Winter counterpart, rubbing my throat and letting Summer wind around me, healing my injuries. "One each."

He looks relieved for an instant, and then grins wickedly. "Round three, dollface."

We face each other again, across the frosted and burned scrub land. I wonder how many times this barren area has been used for fights...

We stay apart for a little while, playing with the longer magics. Kindred's getting some nice spins on his snowballs now, and he even has a go with earth magic; the ground splits and forces me into a standing jump, which lets me play with wind. The landing on that is a little harder than I'd like, but it works. I'm improving.

And then we close in. Kindred's grinning, something feral and wild in his smile. I've let Summer rise, and I've probably got as fierce a grin on my face. Letting the elements play feels good.

I let the fire fill me, and I attack.

And this time, it's personal. We're both fast, blocking and diving and weaving. Winter's using his ice to full effect, slashing at my unprotected skin, slicing at my eyes and trying to slam into me as I duck. But my fire is Summer at its hottest; his ice melts as it slides into range, and my touch leaves scorched burns on his arms. I'm healing the frost-burns even as he makes them, pushing aside the pain of his blows, letting Summer's life propel me forward.

He's just slammed into me, forcing me into a roll, when an icicle slams into the ground next to me. As I roll aside and come to rise, my hand lands in a hole. It's too quick for me to stop; I've plunged forward and my head's met rock, and then it's blackness.

When I wake, it's still to grey sky above. I'm lying on my back on the ground, and Kindred's crouching next to me with his sword stuck into the ground beside him. "Shook up your brains there," he says when he sees my eyes open. "You all right?"

I draw on Summer and let it flow through me, healing as much of the damage as I can in the few moments as I sit up. "Yeah."

Kindred extends a hand, and I take it as I get to my feet.

"I definitely won that." He sounds smug.

I touch my forehead, checking that the wound has closed, and simply raise my eyebrows. "Hitting my head on a rock was not a killing blow on your part."

"I could have killed you."

"You also could when I sleep. You've got some honour."

That brings a flash of something into his eyes. "All right, dollface. A draw."

The audience is still mostly there, and there's a mixture of cheers and hoots of anger as Kindred and I bow to each other. The Winter Knight retrieves his sword, and then gives me a smirk. "So, the other part of your request?"

I put Summer away, feeling my bones start to ache. He's got rid of a lot of my irritation, I guess. "I'll raincheck it. That was nearly as good."

Winter's still in him, and his expression turns into something I recognise from Slate. "You don't get to do that."

I simply stare at him. "Yes, I do."

He takes a step closer, trying to intimidate me. "Your place or mine?"

"Neither."

"Or right here."

I stare into his eyes. We've soulgazed before, so it doesn't matter. "It looks like the Mantle doesn't take long to turn you into Slate, then."

It takes everything I have to not flinch from the blow, not step back. Kindred's fist catches me across the face and I crumple, feeling the pain flood in with a bitter chill. I'm wondering for an instant why I let him do that...

The roar from the surrounding creatures tells me, and I push myself up, climb to my feet. Kindred's turned his head, trying to work out what he wants to do next, caught between the Mantle's fury and desire to hurt and take, and the human instincts that have suddenly kicked in. He just punched someone offering no resistance. He just hurt a friend. That was why I let him do it.

I put my chin up and face him again. "Going to do that every time I tell you something true?"

"I'm not him," the man spits.

"Wanting to rape someone? Sounds familiar."

His fists clench, and the air around us is getting colder. "I can-"

"You can't do anything," I spit back, deliberately shoving Summer away. It's screaming at me, trying to fill him with fire, trying to burn him. It's not helping.

He grabs my head and kisses me.

And I do exactly what I did the last time he tried that. I bite his tongue. Hard.

He recoils with an oath, and I see blood on his lips. Good. "Bitch!"

"I'll fuck you when you're not the Knight," I tell him flatly. "Or when you've got some semblance of humanity in you. Not now."

His hands are shaking. He wants to go for his sword, go for the ice, destroy me...

And that's exactly what the human side is fighting.

I just stand and watch.

And, after a moment, I see something happen. I see something in his eyes change; I see something in his stance recede.

He abruptly nods to me, turns his back, and walks away.

I'm left in the circle of emptiness, listening to the wyldfae scream their approval of the fight and wondering how long it will take before Summer gets too strong for me to push away.


	6. Autumn Equinox

I walk slowly back to Summer along the Way, walking along the hilltop. This seems to be my thinking space, and my healing space. The fields around are starting to become the ploughed and dirt of the winter harvest, and the leaves are turning. The hawthorn's still green, but little else will survive. I can feel the seasons closing in, knowing that Winter is coming.

My sombre mood seems to stay with me. When I wake the next morning, despite the eternal Summer around me, I can't shake my melancholy. Morning finds me sitting at the edge of Summer territory, staring out over the wheat-field where Titania gave me my first taste of Summer power, and wondering what happened.

It's as I'm wandering back from there that I'm met by one of the Centaurs who guard the Lydiard gateway. "Lady Knight. A Mr Kindred to see you."

I raise my head. "What?"

"Mr Kindred to see you." Cedric is very brave, but doesn't have much in the way on intelligence.

I fall into step. "I'll come and see him."

Kindred's waiting by the Lydiard entrance to the Court, standing amongst the elegant birches and majestic oaks of the wood. He looks arrogant and aloof - and because I know him, I know that means he's nervous.

I stop a few feet from him. "Sir Knight."

He shoves his hands into his pockets. "D'you want to come for a walk with me, Dini?"

"Where?"

He shrugs. "I dunno, just somewhere. How about we go get a drink?"

I feel a guilty pang. I haven't been out in Swindon for a while, haven't seen my brother for weeks...I can't remember when I last saw my friends. "Ok, sure." I turn to Cedric. "If the Lady wishes to find me, Davido will know where I am."

"Yes, Lady Knight." He resumes his position as I step forward, out of Summer and into the real world.

We're both silent as we start to walk across Lydiard's lawn. It's September, and the leaves are in full fall. I wonder what the few dog walkers make of us...we must look like an odd couple, both in unseasonal clothing and looking pretty grumpy.

"It's the equinox," Kindred says after a while, as we approach the avenue. "We're balanced."

I glance over at him. "What?"

"Solstices, one Court wins, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"So we're equal at the Equinoxes. It seemed like a good time to come and see you. Spend some time with my opposite number." He isn't looking at me.

"You've never wanted to before."

He sighs, jamming his hands into his pockets again. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you?"

"Say what?" I'm really, really hoping at this point that he isn't about to profess his love or something stupid. That would be...difficult. I wince.

"You were right. About staying human."

I relax. "The Mantle's screaming at you?"

"It always does." He's still not looking at me. "I need it. I've always had it, and it gets harder and harder to fight. And you're right. After...yesterday. I need to keep the human side. And..." Now he does look at me. "You've got some ideas. I don't really have any. I was never that good at staying human before I became the Knight."

I look up at the trees, feeling the Summer life in them fading, seeing the leaves falling. I think I need to be human as much as he does. "Kindred..."

He stops abruptly. "Don't..."

"It's still your name."

He shivers. "Yeah. But...it doesn't feel it."

I stop a little way along the path, still looking at the autumn leaves around us. "Then have two days a year when you're human. Be Kindred. Don't be the Knight." I turn and smile at him, trying to lift my own melancholy as much as his. "You said we're equal. So come have a drink with me, and let's be human for a day."

He's staring at the ground. I scoop up a handful of leaves and dump them over his head.

I see the moment of surprise and shock, but I'm already gone, running up the drive with my laughter floating back. I hear his yell of vengeance; he's got longer legs so catches up with me quickly, but I've just scooped up another handful of leaves and he gets those straight over his head.

"You..." he splutters at me, and then his arms have pinned mine and I've been picked up, legs flailing. He very deliberately carries me over to where the sweepers have made a pile and drops me straight in it.

I just lie back, laughing so hard that my sides ache, and kick leaves at him.

And I see a smile begin to touch his face, breaking through the mask of uncertainty and misery, cracking the melancholy. He's got a smile on his lips as he reaches out to me, extending a hand to help me up.

I pull him into the pile.

I've rolled out of the way and onto my feet as he tumbles down, but I only get two steps before I get rugby-tackled and land on the leaf-strewn grass.

"You," the man clutching my legs tells me, "are a bitch."

I relax, lying on the damp grass, unheeding of the stains on my white shirt and jeans. The air's got a faint chill, and the earth smells of leaf mould and warmth, leftover from the Summer's heat. "Yep."

I look down to find him still on the grass, his head level with my hips. He's trying to look serious and annoyed. "Mab would have a fit if she saw me."

I wriggle my legs out of his grasp and climb to my feet, grinning widely. "It's good for her."

He sighs, but he is smiling. "Come on, dollface. Let's go get a drink."

"We'll have to fight at the Solstice anyway," I comment as we wait for a bus. "So we may as well pretend to be friends at the equinox."

He smirks at me. The leaf incident seems to have jarred him out of his dour mood, even if he is still thoughtful. "Human stuff...that includes fucking, right?"

"Possibly." I stick my tongue out at him as he grins widely at me. "I think a drink is a good start."

"The Sir Dan?"

"It's the only place we're not likely to have trouble," I comment wryly.

We chat about human stuff on the bus; the friends left behind, still working here. The small changes in the buildings. The new films that are splashed across the billboards and bus stops, the problems with keeping clothes tidy - all right, that one's me, looking ruefully at my grass-stained knees.

"Be more like me, dollface. Black jeans have some benefits."

"They look scraggy." I wrinkle my nose at him. "I at least want to have some fashion sense."

"What is this fashion sense that you speak of?"

"Something you could do with!" I glance out the window. We're coming into Swindon proper. "Where do you get your clothes from?"

"Make them," he shrugs. "Or get the Fae to grab me some."

I sigh. "D'you want to go clothes shopping as well, then?"

"Fat chance." He grins. "I never enjoyed that even when I was human. Like I'd do that with you, either-"

I lightly punch his shoulder. "You wanted to spend time with me!"

"There are limits!"

We're still bickering as we climb off the bus and amble through the Parade. It's reassuring; I can feel Summer's flame buried deep inside me, objecting to Winter's presence at my side, and the snark and snap calms it and gives it an outlet. This is the Winter Knight. I should be fighting him, thwarting him, challenging him at every turn. Instead, I'm walking alongside him and arguing about the best thing to feed the Little Folk. He swears by pizza, but he's not the one with an entire tribe of them at his beck and call. I'm calling that objective proof of the supremacy of ice cream.

"What flavour's their favourite?" Kindred asks curiously as we reach the Sir Daniel Arms.

"Tiramisu, or at least Tony's Tiramisu. They're not too keen on chocolate, weirdly. Strawberry's second favourite." A few faces have turned as we step in but as we make our way to the bar, there's ripples and whispers. Both the Knights are known, and to have them both in the same place and not trying to kill each other is...unusual. And Kindred's actually being polite, which is even more unusual. Bugger. No one's likely to pick a fight, but it doesn't mean they can't make life difficult.

Luckily Jay comes over quite fast, smiling at me. "Dini! How's things?"

"Good." I smile back. He's actually become something of a friend over the past few years, which is nice. And I introduced him to the Paranet, which has given him a good outlet for his gossip. "How are you?"

"Same as always." He's noticed the stares, too, and nods to Kindred. "Official business?"

"Extremely unofficial," Kindred comments with something approaching his usual level of sarcasm. "Any chance of a drink?"

I roll my eyes as Jay grins. He's gotten fairly used to Kindred's manners. "What can I get for you?"

"D'you want to go outside?" Kindred mutters to me as Jay pours both of us a pint.

I can feel the eyes on me, and nod. "I'm still not used to people noticing me."

His eyes glitter. "Face it, dollface. You're smokin' hot."

"Literally," I grumble, and dump a tenner on the bar. "Keep the change, Jay."

Outside's better; the air is cool and slightly damp, but I feel like I can breathe. There's no one else in the small beer garden, and I look around at the slumbering rose-vines and damp grass as Kindred puts his pint down on one of the tables. Autumn is a time of tiredness, edging into the death and decay of Winter...but I can still feel the life here. It will rise again.

The seat's wet, and I touch it before I sit. The wood steams for a second, and then I swing my legs over and sit on the dry seat. I've got Summer wrapped around me anyway to keep off the faint chill in the air, but it's nice to be comfortable.

"Nice," Kindred comments.

"I seem to be good at the small things. Glamours are easy, the little spells are easy...it's the raw power that I struggle with."

"I'm the opposite. Took me a while to learn the smaller things. I'm good with power."

That gets a grin. "I noticed."

"Damn, and I thought I was being subtle."

"Trying to hit me with icicles isn't exactly subtle."

He takes a long sip of his pint and simply raises a sarcastic eyebrow at me.

I rest my elbows on the table and sigh, looking around the garden. There's a slight drizzle starting to fall, and I like it; it's cool and damp, unlike the Summer storms or the warm rain. "I miss winter," I comment ruefully.

Kindred's eyebrow has only just gone down, and now it shoots back up. "Really?"

"Yes. Endless summer is lovely, but it gets boring!" I rest my chin on my hand, feeling the melancholy returning. "I miss the crisp leaves, the smell of snow, the cold rain that always somehow gets down the back of your neck...I want to come and visit you just so I can build a snowman again."

"You're strange."

I grin, knowing he's teasing me. "You love it. Don't you miss Summer?"

A slight shrug. "Not really. I never liked it anyway. Too hot."

I roll my eyes and pick up my pint.

"You all right, dollface?" Kindred asks softly after a few minutes of silence.

I meet his blue eyes. "Is it always this lonely?"

"There ain't anyone else with the sort of position we've got," Kindred says.

"Halfway between two worlds."

He shrugs. "It's what makes us useful."

"And different." I stretch my hand out and snap off one of the dead rose-buds from the trellis beside us, the rose long gone with the heat of Summer.

But it's still in there.

And as I bring it back to me, I feel Summer rising up through me; winding through my soul, taking a tiny part of me with it and sweeping my emotions and my heart as it goes. And as the petals unfurl, blood-red and silky, gently curling as if soaking up the Summer sunshine, I look up and into the periwinkle-blue eyes.

"For you," I say, holding it out.

He slowly reaches out and brushes one of the petals with a fingertip. A trickle of scent comes to me; melancholy, love, loneliness, desire, the Summer sunshine and warmth, all wrapped up in the heavy scent of the rose...

"Thanks," he says slowly, almost wonderingly, and takes it. But then he looks up at me and smiles. "I think that's the first time I've been given a present in a long time."

I smile back. "You're welcome."

He lays it on the table, his fingertips lingering on the stem. "The Court are going to throw a fit."

"Why?"

That brings the gleam of malice back into his eyes. "The Summer Knight gave me a present."

"You're going to keep it just to piss them off, aren't you?"

"Absolutely. Do you still have my...my rose?" he adds abruptly.

I nod. "It's on my table at the Court."

Something that I can only class as pain crosses his face. "You know you're going to have to fight me."

"The Mantle seems to take over."

"We're not human any more, dollface."

I shrug, and manage a smile. "We're part human. We'll go with that."

He considers that, his fingers gently brushing the red petals of the rose in front of him. "We've got to keep that, haven't we?"

I nod.

He's silent for another moment, and then lifts his pint and drains the rest of it before dropping the glass back with a grin. "Well, thanks for the philosophical discussion, dollface. I'll pay you back for the pile of leaves at some future point. Laters!"

I stay at the table as he leaves, staring down into my own drink. Fae are beholden to their natures; the Knights are human, but also tied to the whims of their Mantles. We can't help being who we are, and in some ways we have it worse; we've subject to our human natures as well as our Fae ones.

But Winter is not always cruel, nor Summer always kind. There's always a choice.

And he took the rose.

I smile to myself as I finish my pint, enjoying the quiet of the garden. There might still be hope for both of us.


	7. Solstice Fight

I'm dressed in my leather armour over my shirt and jeans, pirate boots on my feet and my hair flowing around my head. I don't look anything like a Knight from the real world, but I don't need to. The acorn around my neck, the silver-woven bracelet on my wrist, the knife at my belt; they are all the armour I need.

The huge field around me is littered with bodies, dead and alive. There's things from the worst realms of Fairytale here; we're in the middle of a nightmare of blood and fighting, worse than any human battle could ever be. It's the Solstice, and the Summer and Winter Courts are battling it out for control of the Table. Luckily, I'm not having to be a general; Nemain's directing Summer's forces. My job is simpler. Distract the Winter Knight.

"He comes!" The Little Folk swoop down towards me, squealing excitedly. They love battles. It's more fun than parties because they get to use their swords.

Apparently you get in trouble if you stab pizza.

The Fae scattering the battlefield around me scatter, and I smile at the ice-armoured figure stalking towards me. We're left alone for these duels, which is exactly how I want it. "Sir Knight."

"Lady Knight." It's his familiar voice, laced with excitement and malice. And then without ceremony he throws out a handful of razor-sharp icicles, intended to slice my chest open, leaving my bleeding and screaming on the ground.

I'm already moving, whirling away to one side and calling my sword into existence as I move. As the flaming blade roars into life I throw out my other hand, dissolving Kindred's next ice shower into warm droplets. "You're looking very dashing today," I call lightly.

He snorts and goes for his own sword. "I'd say the same about you-" A clash and fizz as our swords meet, and then I've ducked away. I can't match his sheer strength, so I have to be quick. "Except I'd use the word fuckable."

"That sounds like an invitation to get you out of that armour." I'm dancing across the ground, the flame whirling around my head and body as I spin. The life and laughter that I bring is one of the best weapons against Winter's dark and death; Kindred can't attack this much vitality, and he's forced to rely on his ice. That I can work with. Plus, it means we battle to lilting snatches of old folk songs and the laughter of long summer days. It really fucking disconcerts him, and I love it.

"You could ask - instead of trying to - carve it up with a bloody piece - of fire."

"That sounds far too easy." I whirl the flaming blade around me and jab it towards him. This time it does hit in; I've already withdrawn and moved to avoid his return blow, but there's a singed and melted hole in the side of his armour.

"I've had easier fucks," the Winter Knight growls at me.

"It's more fun when they fight," I snark back, feeling the chill from his blade as it slices a chunk of my hair away, leaving white strands across the battered ground.

"You take it to extremes." I'm forced into a roll by his next blow and I know what's coming next; he's so predictable sometimes...

So I'm already letting my sword fade and calling up protection when the ice blasts out, freezing the ground beneath my feet and filling the air around me with freezing fog. It takes a large chunk of energy to resist the chill and I know Kindred's already charging across the ground towards me, using the fog as cover.

But instead of rolling aside as I would usually do, I lunge forward. My arms meet something solid and then I'm out of the fog and into the clear, actually slamming the Winter Knight backwards into the frozen ground. I use my momentum to tuck and roll up over his head before he can grab me-

His hand catches my ankle and I'm jerked to an abrupt halt, my ribs thumping awkwardly onto something. Fuck, that hurt. I kick his ear and then his wrist while he twists on the ground, trying to get a purchase while also not letting me go. We devolve into street brawling too often for my liking, but you can't have everything.

He's materialised an ice knife in his fist and is thrusting it towards my foot. I swing my weight and clout him on the side of the head, and get my foot free as he momentarily lets go. He snarls and rolls as I come to my feet and draw my knife, and then we're both on our feet again. I'm covered in smudges and dirt, while his ice is still pristine. But hey, I'm prettier than he is even with my face covered in mud.

I see Winter's familiar lust filling the periwinkle-blue eyes; my shirt's torn at the shoulder and I know he'd love to take advantage of that. I did make the lust win one Solstice, which was amusing; he had actually got as far as dissolving his armour before Mab turned up behind him.

Ok, that wasn't as fun as I make it sound. I really did think I was going to die when he slammed me into the ground, and being pinned to a muddy battlefield and raped is only slightly preferable to actually dying. I was surprised when Mab interrupted. Figured she'd enjoy watching Summer get humiliated.

But I've got other games to play today.

I go on the attack. He's forced to block, parry, block again as I dance around him, whirling faster than he can move, leaving melted slices across his armoured body. This is the problem with my attacks; I'm simply not strong or powerful enough to get in directly. I have to wear him down and create weaknesses before I can properly attack. If Kindred could actually pin me down, he'd overcome me easily - which is why I rely on being fast.

And it's working.

Winter's on the defensive. He's trying to attack but he's using too much strength healing his armour and trying to keep up with my movements to focus more than a few brief showers of icicles. And before he knows it, between one attack and the next, I've slammed him backwards with both feet and then I'm on his chest, knife in my fist and blade pressed into his throat.

I lean forward, and I kiss his cold lips.

The sound from his throat is somewhere between agony and ecstasy. The blade's digging in, and he can't tell how far I've pushed it; but my lips are warm and the life surrounding me is intoxicating. He doesn't dare move but he desperately wants to take me. He's too busy fighting with himself to focus on me.

I've won.

Around us, the battle is ebbing; it looks like Summer has won the Table back and the world's back on track. I leave the Winter Knight on the ground, blood blossoming slowly at his throat and his eyes despairing as the armour melts from his limbs. Mab won't be happy with him, because I let him live.

But hey. There's always another Solstice.


End file.
